Customer Service and Satisfaction in the Australian Utilities Market

Content

• Chapter 1 Executive Summary
  • Introduction
  • Customers' views on utility customer service
  • Tracking customer satisfaction in the Australian utilities market
  • Delivering consistent service competency
  • Best practice
  • Action points
• Chapter 2 Introduction
  • What is this report about?
• Chapter 3 Customers' Views On Utility Customer Service
  • Introduction
  • Key findings
  • Utility service performance is currently exceeded by banks and mobile telecoms companies
  • By State
  • By customer spend
  • Utilities' performance when dealing with queries is inconsistent
  • Why customers contact their utility
  • How well were queries dealt with?
  • Conclusions
• Chapter 4 Tracking Customer Satisfaction In The Australian Utilities Market
  • Introduction
  • Key findings
  • Utilities view the efficient dealing with enquiries as the key driver for customer satisfaction
  • Utilities survey residential consumers regarding satisfaction as frequently as monthly or even weekly
  • Satisfaction surveys tend to focus on staff knowledge and courtesy
  • Companies tend to benchmark themselves only against other electricity utilities
  • In addition, 80% track how well specific queries or complaints are resolved, but few track reasons for switching
  • Conclusions
• Chapter 5 Delivering Consistent Service Competency
  • Key findings
  • Eliminating customer dissatisfaction - the utility today
  • The role of the call centre in building satisfaction
  • Speed of response and query resolution
  • Time to answer calls
  • First call resolution
  • First call resolution - seven steps to success
  • Call handling time
  • Abandoned calls
  • Staffing levels and staff development
  • Customer accounts per agent
  • Staffing levels over time
  • Staff development and training
  • Enabling the agent - the development of technology
  • Call centre availability
  • Complaint management - the reactive and the proactive
  • Conclusions
• Chapter 6 Best Practice
  • Introduction
  • Key findings
  • Best practice from financial services
  • Co-op - the ethical choice
  • First Direct - customers before profits
  • ING Direct - matching good products with good service
  • Best practices in utilities
  • Conclusion
• Chapter 7 Action Points
  • Introduction
  • Key findings
  • Relating metrics to customer needs
  • Relating metrics to strategic goals and managing customer expectations
  • A premium sevice provider
  • A price player
  • The Herd - managing perceptions to meet expectations
• Chapter 8 Appendix
  • Research methodology
  • Sources and relevant links
  • Energy regulators
  • Electricity and gas retailers in Australia
  • Further readings
  • SPP writing team
  • How to contact experts in your industry
• List Of Tables
  • Table 1: Comparisons of customer service across service companies
  • Table 2: Comparisons of customer service across service companies and States
  • Table 3: Comparisons of customer service across service companies and Electricity spend segments
  • Table 4: Why customers contacted their electricity utility
  • Table 5: Breakdown of call centre contacts by type in Europe, 2004
  • Table 6: How well were queries dealt with?
  • Table 7: Key drivers of customer satisfaction
  • Table 8: What areas of your service does your survey cover?
  • Table 9: Do you undertake benchmarking analysis against other?
  • Table 10: Telephone service performance for Victoria and South Australia, 2003/04
  • Table 11: Which of the following levels of service would be acceptable for you, State by State
  • Table 12: Are your customer service staff trained in the following?
  • Table 13: Information available to CSRs when speaking with customers
  • Table 14: Why do you use call recording in the call centre - responses for Australia and Europe
  • Table 15: Recommended service metrics for the three types of utility
  • Table 16: Distribution of respondents by State and Territory
• List Of Figures
  • Figure 1: Comparisons of customer service across service companies
  • Figure 2: Which of the following levels of service would be acceptable for you (tick as many as applicable). Note excludes when reporting a fault.
  • Figure 3: Four stages for maximizing customer loyalty
  • Figure 4: Comparisons of customer service across service companies
  • Figure 5: Comparisons of customer service across service companies and States
  • Figure 6: Comparisons of customer service across service companies and Electricity spend segments
  • Figure 7: Which of the following levels of service would be acceptable for you (tick as many as applicable). Note excludes when reporting a fault.
  • Figure 8: Which of the following levels of service would be acceptable for you, State by State
  • Figure 9: Utilities must concentrate on minimizing the longest call waiting times/ call handling times that impact upon customer retention, rather than improving average and fastest response times
  • Figure 10: Number of customer accounts per CSR for selected markets
  • Figure 11: Small changes in staffing levels have a major impact on service levels achieved in the call centre - American utility example
  • Figure 12: The appropriate balance between price and service is dependent upon the utility's strategic goals